Electrical contact assembly for miniature relay



y 1966 H. E. SPOONER 3,253,110

ELECTRICAL CONTACT ASSEMBLY FOR MINIATURE RELAY Filed May 4, 1964 IN V EN TOR. Hflward A". Spoaner United States Patent Ofi ice 3,253,l ll] Patented May 24, 1966 3,253,110 ELECTRICAL CONTACT ASSEMBLY FOR MINIATURE RELAY Howard E. Spooner, Lincoln, R.I., assignor to Engelhard Industries, Inc., Newark, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 4, 1964, Ser. No. 364,713 6 Claims. (Cl. 200-166) The present invention deals with an electrical contact assembly for a miniature relay and more particularly with an electrical contact assembly for supporting the components of an electrically operated relay for the making and breaking of circuits in electrical circuitry.

A conventional electrical contact assembly for miniature electrical relays, known as a header assembly, comprises a base carrying a plurality of insulated conductive pins passing through the base and having a spring blade contact arm mounted on the pins above the base. The blade comprises a rigid angular bracket bonded at one end of the blade and a pair of oppositely positioned contacts at the other end. The blade contacts are positioned between a pair of fixed or stationary contacts and alternately contactable with one and then the other of the stationary contacts. The bracket is welded or otherwise afiixed to a pin spaced from the stationary contacts. In making adjustments for desirable spring loaded contact pressure between a blade contact and a stationary contact, the bracket is bent to a desirable degree. However, such bending of the rigid bracket produces undesirable strains on the bracket-pin weld area.

In accordance with the present invention, the flexible spring blade is directly welded or otherwise directly secured to a particular pin structure in a manner to provide both a mechanical and welded support for the blade, whereby any adjustment of the spring loaded contact pressure has no deleterious eifect on the weld joint and provides for a simplified contact loading adjustment.

It is an object of the invention to provide a base assembly for a miniature relay incorporating a simplified means for adjusting contact loading.

It is another object of the invention to provide a base assembly for a miniature relay comprising a spring blade directly aflixed to a supporting pin in a manner to provide either or both a mechanical and a Welded support for the blade.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description hereinafter following and the drawings forming a part hereof, in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates a top elevational view of a miniature relay base assembly according to the invention,

FIGURE 2 illustrates an isometric fragmentary partial view along lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 illustrates a fragmentary top view of a modification of the invention, and

FIGURE 4 illustrates an enlarged isometric fragmentary view along lines 44 of FIGURE 3.

In accordance with FIGURES 1 and 2, the invention comprises an elongated base 1 of substantially rectangular configuration. A row of apertures 2, 3, 4 and 5 are formed through the base substantially adjacent one longitudinal edge 6 and spaced from each other along the said edge. A second row of apertures 7 8, 9 and 10 are similarly formed through the base 2 along the opposite longitudinal edge 11. The rows are spaced laterally of each other. Notches 12 and 13 are formed in edge 6 and spaced from each other. Notches 14 and 15 are formed in the opposite edge 11 and spaced from each other. The notches comprise seat means for upright supports adapted to support conventional supplementary relay components, not shown. The shanks 16, 17, 18, 19,

20, 21, 22 and 23 of hooked pins pass through their respective apertures and are sealed therein by an insulation sealing means 24, e.g., a glass compound positioned intermediate the pins and the aperture walls. The pins are mounted on the base 1 with a free end 25 of each hook spaced from and directed toward the base. The hook portion of each pin comprising a head means. A pair of pins 19 and 23 are laterally spaced from each other substantially adjacent and along one end of the base and are positioned with their free hook ends facing each other and stationary contact members 26 and 27 are bonded on the hook ends in spaced relationship. One end 28 of a spring blade 29 is bonded, e.g., welded to the shank of a hooked pin 21 which is spaced from the pair of pins 19 and 23 longitudinally of the base, and the blade passes between the shank and in spring tensioned abutment with hook end 25 with the other end portion 30 of the blade extending between contacts 26 and 27 of pins 19 and 23, whereby the spring blade as mounted on pin 21 both bondedly and mechanically supported thereon. The blade end portion 30 is provided with contacts 31 and 32 positioned on opposite sides of the blade relative to each other and one being contact able with one of the stationary contacts 26 and 27 and the other with the other stationary contact.

In order to adjust the spring load of one of the spring contacts against one of the pin contacts, the book of the pin on which the blade is mounted is simply selectively bent or twisted toward the pair of pin contacts 26 and 27, whereby the abutment pressure of the spring blade against the hook free end 25 is increased to provide an increased loading of a spring blade contact against a stationary contact.

Should the relay require additional making and breaking of electrical circuitry, the pins 16 and 20 at the other end of the base, identical with pins 19 and 23, are pro vided with contacts 34 and 35, identical with contacts 26 and 27, and a spring blade 36 is mounted on pin 18 in the manner identical with the mounting of blade 29.

FIGURES 3 and 4 illustrate a modification of the in vention in that the pins 19 and 23 are substituted by forked pins 37 and 38 with the upwardly directed fork prongs substituting for the hook or head portion of pins 19 and 23. The forked pins are tridentate with an intermediate prong 39 between outer prongs 40 and 41. The intermediate prong is spaced outwardly of a plane passing through the outer prongs beyond the adjacent faces of the outer prongs, thereby providing a spacing therebetween. One leg portion 42 of a U-shaped spring blade 43 is secured between the intermediate prong 39 and the outer prongs 40 and 41. The other leg portion 44 is provided with a contact 45 on its outer surface. An identical second U-shaped blade 46 is identically mounted on forked pin 37 with its contact 47 facing the contact 45. In this modification, the U-shaped springs 43 and 46 can be adjusted within small limits to provide for contact pressure adjustment with the U-shaped blades providing in addition a wiping action under spring tension to provide a cleaning active on the contacts.

Various modifications of the invention will become apparent within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical contact assembly for miniature relays, comprising a base, a plurality of pins each having head means and a shank, the shanks being mounted on the base and passing therethrough, the head means of at least one of the pins comprising a hook having a free end portion directed toward the base, a pair of the pins being contact pins each spaced laterally of each other and d 7 other, a flexible blade having blade contact members secured to the opposite faces of one end portion of the blade, the other end portion of the blade being bonded to the shank of the hooked pin, the blade passing between the shank and the free end portion in abutment with the free end portion, the blade extending from the hooked pin to a position between the pair of contact pins with one of the blade contact members engaging one of the pin contact members.

2. An electrical contact assembly for miniature relays according to claim 1, wherein the pair of contact pins each comprise a head means in the form of a hook having a free end portion directed toward the base, the free end portions facing each other, and a contact member on each of the free end portions spaced from and facing each other.

3. An electrical contact assembly for miniature relays according to claim 1, wherein the free end portions of the hooked pins are directed toward the base and spaced therefrom.

4. An electrical contact assembly for miniature relays according to claim 1, wherein the free end portion of the hook is directed toward the said pair of contact pins.

5. An electrical contact assembly for miniature relays according to claim 1, wherein the head means of each of the contact pins comprises a forked head, a flexible U-shaped contact blade having a leg thereof mounted on each of the forked heads, the free legs of the U-shaped blades facing each other, and a contact member on the outer face of each free leg.

6. An electrical contact assembly for miniature relays according to claim 5, wherein the forked head comprises tridentate prongs, the intermediate prong being spaced outwardly of a plane passing through the outer prongs, the one end portion of the U-shaped blade being secured between the intermediate prong and the outer prongs.

' References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,152,237 10/1964 Richert et a1 200-466 ROBERT S. MACON, Acting Primary Examiner.

KATHLEEN H. CLAFFY, Examiner.

H. O. JONES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ELECTRICAL CONTACT ASSEMBLY FOR MINIATURE RELAYS, COMPRISING A BASE, A PLURALITY OF PINS EACH HAVING HEAD MEANS AND A SHANK, THE SHANKS BEING MOUNTED ON THE BASE AND PASSING THERETHROUGH, THE HEAD MEANS OF AT LEAST ONE OF THE PINS COMPRISING A HOOK HAVING A FREE END PORTION DIRECTED TOWARD THE BASE, A PAIR OF THE PINS BEING CONTACT PINS EACH SPACED LATERALLY OF EACH OTHR AND EACH HAVING A CONTACT MEMBER COMPRISING A HEAD MEANS MOUNTED THEREON, THE PIN CONTACT MEMBERS FACING EACH OTHER, A FLEXIBLE BLADE HAVING BLADE CONTACT MEMBERS SECURED TO THE OPPOSITE FACES OF ONE END PORTION OF THE BLADE, THE OTHER END PORTION OF THE BLADE BEING BONDED TO THE SHANK OF THE HOOKED PIN, THE BLADE PASSING BETWEEN THE SHANK AND THE FREE END PORTION IN ABUTMENT WITH THE FREE END PORTION, THE BLADE EXTENDING FROM THE HOOKED PIN TO A POSITION BETWEEN THE PAIR OF CONTACT PINS WITH ONE OF THE BLADE CONTACT MEMBERS ENGAGING ONE OF THE PIN CONTACT MEMBERS. 